OSCE summarizes its 2011 activity for Karabakh settlement

PanARMENIAN.Net - Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) published a report on its activity in 2011, in which a separate point covers Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement.

“Throughout the year, the Chairmanship, together with the Co-Chairs and members of the Minsk Group and other participating States, urged the parties to continue, in a greater spirit of compromise, to negotiate a peaceful settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, including non-use or threat of force, territorial integrity and the equal rights and self-determination of peoples.

The Co-Chairs visited the region seven times and held 14 separate meetings in various locations with Azerbaijani President Aliyev and Armenian President Sargsyan. The Co-Chairs also crossed the Line of Contact by foot four times, demonstrating that the Line is not a permanent barrier between peoples of the region and that military co-ordination in implementing the ceasefire is possible when all sides are willing. They continued to reiterate that there is no military solution and that political will by the sides is essential for them to make the difficult decisions required to move beyond the unacceptable status quo and achieve peace.

On the margins of the Vilnius Ministerial Council, the Heads of Delegation of the Minsk Group Co-Chair countries and the Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed on a Joint Statement. In the statement, the parties agreed on the need to continue the negotiating process in the format of the OSCE Minsk Group and to improve the climate for making progress towards a peaceful settlement. As one of the steps in this direction, they agreed that further efforts should be made to work on the details of the mechanism to investigate ceasefire violations. The Foreign Ministers also informed the Co-Chair countries that their presidents are ready to meet again jointly in the near future to continue their direct dialogue on how to bring peace, stability and prosperity to their peoples.

Many deplorable incidents occurred along the Line of Contact in 2011. These incidents resulted in the loss of life and contributed to increased tension in the region. The Chairmanship, alongside the Minsk Group Co-Chairs, called on the parties to take additional, immediate actions to reinforce the cease-fire agreement by agreeing on a mechanism, which was proposed in 2011, to conduct investigations of incidents along the Line of Contact, and by removing snipers and establishing direct telecommunications between the field commanders. The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group are Ambassador Robert Bradtke of the United States, Ambassador Igor Popov of the Russian Federation, and Ambassador Jacques Faure of France, who succeeded Ambassador Bernard Fassier in December,” the report reads.